FARMINGTON, Utah (Oct. 7, 2026) – Big Sky football rolls into Week 6 with another Top 15 matchup on the slate, as No. 2 Montana visits No. 13 Northern Arizona to headline the five-game weekend. Below are news and notes for Week 6 of the football season.
Big Sky Football Weekly Notebook (Week 6)
ANOTHER RANKED MATCHUP IN THE BIG SKY
No. 13 Northern Arizona hosts No. 2 Montana this Saturday in Flagstaff, with the Top 15 showdown serving as the Game of the Week for "This Week in Big Sky Football” which airs each Thursday on @BigSkyConf’s YouTube and every Saturday on Scripps Sports.
Montana has won six of the last 10 meetings against NAU, but the Lumberjacks did win the last game in Flagstaff, with a 28-14 win in 2023.
The game also marks another ranked matchup for between Big Sky teams, with four Top 20 ranked contests so far this season.
Top 20 Ranked Big Sky Matchups in 2026
Sept. 26: #5 Montana 62, #10 UC Davis 22
Sept. 26: #1 Montana State 28, #18 NAU 14
Oct. 3: #19 NAU 38, #12 Idaho State 31
Oct. 10: #2 Montana at #13 NAU
EVERY POINT COUNTS IN THE BIG SKY
Big Sky football has featured plenty of tight contests through the first three weeks of conference play, with 14 of 18 league games decided by an average margin of just 6.5 points. Of those 18 Big Sky games, six have been decided by four points or fewer.
Average Point Difference for Conference Games
Team (Conf. Rec.) // Point Diff. // Average Margin
Montana (3-0) // +69 // +23.0
Montana State (2-1) // +67 // +22.3
Weber State (2-1) // +6 // +2.0
Southern Utah (1-2) // +2 // +0.7
Northern Colorado (1-2) // +1 // +0.3
Northern Arizona (2-1) // 0 // 0.0
Cal Poly (2-1) // 0 // 0.0
Idaho State (1-1) // -3 // -1.5
Idaho (1-1) // -3 // -1.5
Portland State (1-1) // -4 // -2.0
UC Davis (2-1) // -22 // -7.3
Eastern Washington (0-3) // -22 // -7.3
Utah Tech (0-3) // -91 // -30.3
IDAHO NAMED FCS NATIONAL TEAM OF THE WEEK
Idaho's thrilling 35-34 upset over No. 1 Montana State earned the Vandals "FCS National Team of the Week" honors from Stats Perform FCS. The Vandals trailed the defending national champions 34-20 in the fourth quarter, before rallying to score with one second remaining and converting a two-point conversion to complete the upset. The victory, seen by a national audience on ESPN, was the first-ever for Idaho over a No. 1 ranked team and snapped Montana State's 19-game winning streak.
NORTHERN ARIZONA LEADS FCS WITH 16 TAKEAWAYS
The Northern Arizona defense has been on an impressive run to start the 2026 season, with the Lumberjacks topping the FCS in takeaways after forcing 16 turnovers. NAU has earned nine interceptions and seven fumble recoveries to total their 16 takeaways this year. The next closest Big Sky team has 11 takeaways, with Portland State and Southern Utah tied with that total.
SEVERAL BIG SKY PLAYERS RANK HIGH NATIONALLY FOR INDIVIDUAL STATS
The Big Sky has 10 players ranking in the Top 10 for the six major stat categories below, with the top area being rushing yards per game and receiving yards per game, as six conference standouts rank in the Top 5 for those two categories.
Big Sky Passing Leaders
Name, School (FCS Rank) // YPG
1. Jordan Cooke, ISU (7th) // 279.2
2. Nate Bell, EWU (10th) // 266.2
3. Keali’i Ah Yat, UM (11th) // 265.8
Big Sky Rushing Leaders
Name, School (FCS Rank) // YPG
1. Floyd Chalk, SUU (1st) // 137.2
2. Eli Gillman, UM (3rd) // 130.5
3. Jaden Green, CP (4th) // 130.3
Big Sky Receiving Leaders
Name, School (FCS Rank) // YPG
1. Brooks Davis, UM (2nd) // 128.7
2. Samuel Gbatu Jr., UCD (3rd) // 110.5
3. Noah Kjar, WSU (4th) // 103.5
Big Sky Tackles Leaders
Name, School (FCS Rank) // TPG
1. Mikey D’Amato, CP (2nd) // 12.0
2. Kenny Olson, CP (11th) // 10.2
3. Bryce Smith, EWU (19th) // 9.8
Big Sky Sack Leaders
Name, School (FCS Rank) // Sacks
1. Tyler King, UM (24th) // 4.5
T2. Kaleb Pleis, CP (31st) // 4.0
T2. Myles Amey, SUU (31st) // 4.0
T2. Porter Small, WSU (31st) // 4.0
Big Sky Interception Leaders
Name, School (FCS Rank) // INTs
1. Parker Vance, SUU (2nd) // 4
T2. Jaylon Jenkins, EWU (12th) // 3
T2. Jahaad Fort, NAU (12th) // 3
BIG SKY TEAMS DOMINATE FCS TEAM OFFENSIVE RANKINGS
The Big Sky features some of the best offenses in the nation, with six of the Top 20 for total yards per game in the FCS hailing from the league. The next closest is the SWAC with four, followed by the MVFC, Southland, and Ivy League with two teams each for yards per game.
Big Sky Top Offenses
School (FCS Rank) // YPG
1. Montana (8th) // 464.3
2. Southern Utah (11th) // 457.5
3. Weber State (15th) // 452.8
4. Idaho State (16th) // 452.4
5. UC Davis (18th) // 443.5
6. Montana State (19th) // 441.3
BIG SKY PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONOREES FOR WEEK 5
Offensive Player of the Week
Joshua Wood, Idaho (QB, Sr., Graham, Wash.)
Joshua Wood led Idaho to a stunning 35-34 upset of No. 1 Montana State on Friday night, helping snap the defending national champions’ 19-game winning streak. Wood completed 19-of-25 passes with two touchdowns, while adding 41 yards on the ground and a score. Wood engineered the game-winning drive for the Vandals, passing for touchdown as time expired before running in a two-point conversion to complete the historic upset. The win marked the first-ever for Idaho over a No. 1 team.
Others Nominated: Nate Bell (EWU), Brooks Davis (UM), Ty Pennington (NAU), Kenny Lueth (UNC), Will Burns (SUU), Jordan Fisher (UCD), Tate Kjar (WSU)
Defensive Player of the Week
Porter Small, Weber State (DL, R-So., Springville, Utah)
Porter Small delivered a standout performance in Weber State’s 42-34 double-overtime win at Cal Poly, recording five tackles, three sacks, and four tackles for loss. Small came up with two crucial sacks late in the game, including a 7-yard sack on third down with 2:13 remaining in regulation that helped set up Weber State’s game-tying field goal. The defensive end added a 10-yard sack on third down in the second overtime, forcing a desperation fourth and 19 for Cal Poly that ultimately failed.
Others Nominated: Cruz Hepburn (UI), Nai Mose (UM), Ezra Ekuban (UNC), Parker Vance (SUU), Porter Connors (UCD)
Special Teams Player of the Week
Ran Sawyer, Southern Utah (KR, So., St. George, Utah)
Ran Sawyer had a momentum-swinging moment in Southern Utah’s 46-33 road win over Utah Tech, returning a kickoff for 99 yards for a touchdown. Sawyer’s kickoff return score came moments after Utah Tech took a 17-15 lead, as the touchdown put Southern Utah back in front for good. Sawyer finished with 138 yards on two kickoff returns against his hometown team.
Others Nominated: Soren McKee (EWU), Ryder Barinowski (UM), James Moore (UNC), Zach Jones (UCD)
MONTANA’S GILLMAN BREAKS BIG SKY RUSHING RECORD
Eli Gillman scored four touchdowns on the ground in the Week 4 win at UC Davis, becoming the Big Sky’s all-time leader in rushing TDs. Gillman now sits at 60 career rushing TDs, which officially surpasses the previous record of 56 set by Charles Roberts of Sacramento State in 2000.
Gillman now has his sights set on a record thought impossible to break, the Big Sky record for most total TDs, set by Cooper Kupp after he scored 77 for his career.
Most Career Rushing TDs in Big Sky History
1. Eli Gillman, UM (2022-26) – 60
2. Charles Roberts, SAC (1997-00) – 56
3. Charles Dunn, PSU (1997-00) – 54
T-4. Charvez Foger, NEV (1985-88) – 52
T-4. Chase Reynolds, UM (2007-10) – 52
Most Career Total TDs in Big Sky History
1. Cooper Kupp, EWU (2013-16) – 77
2. Eli Gillman, UM (2022-26) – 67
T3. Charles Dunn, PSU (1997-00) – 61
T3. Sherriden May, UI (1991-94) – 61
NON-CONFERENCE GAMES FOR BIG SKY FOES
New members Southern Utah and Utah Tech will both play Big Sky foes in non-conference action this season, due to previously contracted games dating back to previous years. The final non-conference game between Big Sky foes for the regular season concluded in Week 3, as Northern Arizona defeated Utah Tech, 35-23.
Non-Conference Games Featuring Big Sky Foes
9/5 Weber State at Southern Utah (SUU 47, WSU 42)
9/12 Utah Tech at Montana (UM 35, UTU 14)
9/19 Northern Arizona at Utah Tech (NAU 35, UTU 23)
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2026 Big Sky Football Schedule (Week 6)
Saturday, Oct. 10
Idaho at Weber State* // 1:00 p.m. MT (ESPN+/KJZZ/KMYU)
Utah Tech at Portland State* // 2:00 p.m. MT (ESPN+/RCSN)
#2 Montana at #13 Northern Arizona* // 3:00 p.m. MT (ESPN+/Scripps)
Cal Poly at #16 Idaho State* // 4:00 p.m. MT (ESPN+)
Northern Colorado at Eastern Washington* // 5:00 p.m. MT (ESPN+/SWX)
All Times Mountain
* - Big Sky Conference Game
FCS Rankings: Stats Perform FCS